The forest at dusk was shrouded in a silver mist, soft tendrils curling between the trunks of ancient trees. Lin Shou's boots sank into damp leaves as his steady footfalls startled a flock of Pidgeots roosting nearby. They took off in a flurry of wings, vanishing into the haze with shrill cries.
He tugged at his grass-stained collar, brushing away the bits of foliage that clung stubbornly to the fabric. Blood still trickled from shallow scrapes on his knuckles, but he raised his chin toward the camera, grinning with a confidence that bordered on cocky.
"Watch closely, my friends," he said, his voice steady despite the day's fatigue. "Tonight, I'll show you what real training looks like."
The chat in his livestream erupted instantly.["666! This is a proper brawl!"]["Careful, streamer, don't get knocked out by a Rattata!"]
A small, battered Raticate staggered before him. Its health bar on the HUD was down to a sliver. Finally, the system chimed in.
[Pokémon Defeated: 89/200]
He took the microphone from the staff member at his side, lowering his voice as if revealing a trade secret. His fingertips left faint sweat marks on the cold metal casing.
"Our next target," he murmured, "is that Mankey over there."
As he bent to pick up a stone, he continued his commentary. "Those of you who've fought Mankey and its evolution, Primeape, know exactly what happens when you provoke them. They're like living pressure cookers—once the steam builds, there's no cooling them down. Out here in the wild, the last thing you'll have to worry about is them running away."
The chat filled instantly with question marks.["Wait, boss… are you serious?"]["This is hilarious! You're worried it'll run away? You should be the one running!"]
Before they could flood the feed with more sarcasm, his arm flicked forward. The stone sailed through the air and landed with a satisfying thunk on the Mankey's white-furred head. A lump swelled instantly.
The Mankey's furious roar shook the leaves. Its eyes burned red as it lunged at him.
Lin Shou sidestepped, the rush of displaced air brushing past his cheek. The Mankey spun, fists blurring, and drove a punch into his guard. Pain shot up his forearm—this creature hit harder than most rookie trainers could imagine.
Realizing that distance wasn't helping, Lin Shou stepped in close, driving a kick into its stomach. The Mankey grunted and leapt backward, but it came charging again, this time using both fists and feet in a storm of rapid strikes.
Lin Shou slipped behind it, one arm snaking around its neck. He locked his grip and hammered his elbows into its ribs. "Take my Black Mamba Charge!" he shouted.
The Mankey crumpled.[Pokémon Defeated: 91/200]
The victory chime was as sweet as a referee's whistle at the end of a game. Lin Shou roared in triumph, then turned back to the camera with a cocky smile. "Family, your gifts, please! Don't forget to follow—don't get lost in the forest!"
The audience went wild. Digital rewards started flooding in.["Boss, 666! Take me as your disciple!"]["Commanding Pokémon is for women—real men fight them head-on!"]["Boss, your technique's sloppy. I'm giving the win to the Mankey!"]
"Ahem… don't try this at home," Lin Shou warned quickly. "The host can do this because of professional training."
In truth, most humans were physically equivalent to a level 5 Pokémon at best. Lin Shou, however, had already pushed himself to level 10—on par with that Mankey. Anyone foolish enough to imitate him without preparation would end up hospitalized.
The chat began spiraling into absurd boasts.["I just tried it! Saw a passing Incineroar—now I've been reborn for ten minutes. Thanks, host!"]["Feeling itchy? Just alternate left and right punches!"]["Yeah right. I can one-shot an Incineroar with a single swipe!"]
Lin Shou cut them off before the nonsense got any worse. "Alright, next challenge."
[Pokémon Defeated: 105/200]
By the time the sun dipped below the treeline, his body ached from head to toe. "That's it for today's livestream," he announced. "The host needs rest. See you all tomorrow morning."
He shut down the feed and let the staff escort him back to the resort.
Later, leaning against the balcony railing of his hotel room, he pulled up his stats:
[Forest Hunter ♂ – General Attributes – Level 11]HP: 25/50Attack: 42Defense: 42Special Attack: 42Special Defense: 42Speed: 42Weakness: Fighting ×2Entries (3/3): Imposing Cloak (Blue); Technical Master (Gold); Learning Device (Gold)Skills (3/8): High-Five Surprise Attack; Aura Sphere; Freeze-DryTerm Library: White ×41; Blue ×1; Purple ×0; Gold ×2; Orange ×0; Red ×0
Level 11. If he could go back to the day he first met Squirtle, one solid punch would probably have chipped the paint right off its shell.
He'd planned to test the entry fusion function tonight, but exhaustion won out. Tomorrow, then.
Meanwhile, deep in the forest, a heated council of Pokémon raged on.
"What a disgrace!" roared one."I was beaten… by a human!" another wailed."Where's your pride? Your dignity as Pokémon?""If you can't defeat humans, why become their partners? Expect them to protect you?"
The verdict was unanimous: the youth of the forest had grown lazy.
"Everyone—train harder!"
From that night onward, the behavior of the wild Pokémon in the Green Forest Reserve began to change…